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The Greater Greensboro Watershed Committee and the Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District would like to invite interested Caspian Lake shoreland owners to participate in the Vermont Lake Wise Program this summer! The Lake Wise Program is a Vermont Agency of Natural Resources initiative that awards lake-friendly shoreland properties, both public and private. The program offers free technical assistance to lake shoreland owners who would like to learn more about how to make their property as lake-friendly as possible.

According to the Department of Environmental Conservation Lake Score Card for Caspian, spring total phosphorus and summer total phosphorus trends are “significantly increasing” and “highly significantly increasing” respectively. Phosphorus pollution can result in algal blooms that are harmful to animals and people, and can decrease the economic, ecological, and recreational value of the lake. Caught early, intervention may stop or slow down this trend.

Lake shoreland owners have an important role to play in reducing shoreland erosion, improving lakeshore habitat, and keeping Caspian Lake clean. If you choose to participate, Lake Wise evaluators will spend up to an hour and a half assessing each property and providing technical advice in four categories – shorefront, recreation area, driveway, and structures and septic. If the property passes in all four categories, it will receive the Lake Wise Award sign. If the property does not pass, a detailed evaluation is provided to the landowner with recommendations on how to become Lake Wise certified in the future. Lake Wise is a voluntary program, and the recommendations are suggested, not mandated. Common recommendations include rain gardens, water bars, establishing no-mow zones, planting lakeshore vegetation, and establishing pathways.

If you are interested in a free assessment this summer, please contact Emily Finnegan at the Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District – [email protected] or 802-624-7022. For more information about the Lake Wise program, please see the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation website – https://dec.vermont.gov/watershed/lakes-ponds/lakeshores-lake-wise.
An example evaluation form is also available here – https://dec.vermont.gov/sites/dec/files/wsm/lakes/Lakewise/docs/lp_evaluationforms.pdf.
Finally, the DEC Lake Scorecards can be found here – https://dec.vermont.gov/watershed/lakes-ponds/data-maps/scorecard.

The Stewards of the Greensboro Watershed and the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation held a virtual public meeting on August 24 to discuss water quality trends in Vermont’s water bodies in the Greensboro Watershed, including Caspian Lake, Lake Elligo, and Long Pond, and discuss opportunities to increase protection of these high-quality waters.  The recording of this meeting is available here:

Recording of Greensboro Watershed Status Public Meeting

We are nearly there!  Thanks to the generosity of caring contributors, the matching grant for the Greensboro Association’s Community Relief Fund is very close to reaching its goal.  Initiated by 8th grade summer resident Rhodes Boester and supported by a generous anonymous donor, this grant will match up to $10,000 of funds raised by July 31st.

With just over a week left, now’s the time to make a donation of any size, and the impact of your gift will be doubled.

The Community Relief Fund is making monthly distributions to organizations best positioned to meet emergency needs.  Initial support has been targeted toward food, medical supplies, and personal protective gear necessary for first responders.   We are committed to providing critical support throughout the coming year, so every dollar raised matters!

Donations can be made through the Greensboro Association website (www.greensboroassociation.org), or by personal check (mail to GA, Community Relief Fund, PO Box 59, Greensboro, VT, 05841).

For more information about the Fund and the matching grant, read what Rhodes himself has to say:

Hello,

My name is Rhodes Boester, and I am in eighth grade. I live in Rye, NY with my parents and two brothers. During my time at home during this pandemic, I began to think of ways to help people in the Greensboro Community impacted by the Covid-19 epidemic. I spent some time looking at organizations that help those hit hard during these times. One group and cause stood out to me: The Greensboro Association Community Relief Fund. I chose it for many reasons. First, I have spent a lot of time in Greensboro throughout my life, and know how special the community really is. Secondly, it is a small organization, and is likely to not have the resources to help people as large charitable organizations have. There are many small businesses and people who are struggling to make ends meet, and this group is helping them. Please consider a donation, however big or small, to this organization. There are two ways to donate: Either send a check to Greensboro Association, Community Relief Fund, PO Box 59, Greensboro VT. 05841, or visit their website (https://www.greensboroassociation.org/covid/). An anonymous donor will match all donations, up to a sum of $10,000. When donating, mention my name to have your donation matched.

Thank you,

Rhodes Boester

You can find out more about the Greensboro Association Community Relief fund at this link.   The GA Covid-19 Community Relief Fund.  

Birds of Greensboro by John Audubon Schweizer

The Black-throated Green Warbler and Spruce Grouse are the most at-risk NEK birds.

On October 10th,  the National Audubon released its scientists’ latest forecast for birds at risk of disappearing from Vermont by 2050.  The scientists’ model looked at 168 Vermont bird species and average temperature rising 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050.  This temperature rise which is consistent with the current climate trends will result in shorter winters and more frequent extreme weather-related events like droughts, heavy rains, extreme spring heat, and forest fires.  These conditions will not only affect our birds’ ability and timing for migration, nesting, and reproduction but also shock and reorder the local insect population which is the primary sources of nutrition for fledglings and their parents.

Of the 114 threaten species, 54  common Greensboro birds are at moderate to high risk of disappearing and 60 are at low risk. The moderate to high-risk birds include 11 species of warblers, 5 species of sparrows, woodcocks, mergansers as well as Vermont’s state bird, the Hermit Thrush.  The remaining population of other studied Vermont species should remain relatively unchanged during the next 30 years.  More information on threatening Vermont bird species can be seen at the website: Audubon.org/climate/survival by degrees/state/us/vt.